Democracy at Work

Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president David John-Williams left the VIP Room at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo unscathed and full of confidence as a motion for his dismissal failed to materialise during an adjourned AGM, on Sunday.

In a Newsday article, it stated, the meeting was scheduled for the membership to address the remaining items on the agenda, which could not be attended to in the first sitting held two weeks prior. It has been adjourned yet again for January to address the passing of the budget and a constitutional amendment, which could allow for a vote to remove a sitting president by a simple majority.

“Democracy at work, that’s all I have to say…This is the second time they’ve tried to do it (execute a no-confidence vote) and the people have spoken,” John-Williams said in an interview with Newsday yesterday.
John-Williams said he quietly goes about his business and was pleased to have the support of the majority of his membership.

The TTFA head has been heavily criticsed by certain excutive members for not being transparent with the multi-million dollar Home of Football project in Couva.

Asked if he was expecting the motion to pass or fail, John-Williams responded: “I make no comment on that matter. In politics – and this is politics really – you never know.” He said he did not wish to discuss the motion further, except to say: “I will continue to do my best for TT football.” The motion to dismiss the president was tabled by FC Santa Rosa president and member of the board of directors, Keith Look Loy, in September.

Instead of the no-confidence vote, John-Williams reportedly faced a less consequential motion of censure instead, which gave members an opportunity to voice their disapproval of the president’s handling of particular matters.

Meanwhile, the matter of the constitutional amendment, which was tabled by the TT Football Referees Association (TTFRA), was removed from the agenda and moved to the next adjourned meeting.

The TTFA constitution currently requires a three-quarter majority vote by secret ballot for the dismissal of a sitting president or any other member. The TTFRA is proposing to allow a vote of 50 per cent plus one member to allow for the removal of a member.

According to John-Williams, “In any democracy, it’s a recipe for disaster, because every Monday morning you could be putting a president in place. If the quorum for the AGM is 26, and let’s say the quorum attends the meeting, it only takes 14 members to remove the president.”

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association was formed on July 23rd, 1908. Expatriate workers who taught the game to locals played the game in the oilfields.

A certain player by the name of Dwight Yorke captained this country to its first ever FIFA World Cup, the 1991 FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Portugal. And in 2006 he also captained the Senior Men's Team to the 2006 World Cup in Germany